Robert Desax

Robert Desax is a partner in the tax team. He works in the fields of national and international taxation. He represents clients in controversial tax matters and assists private clients regarding the tax aspects of estate and wealth planning. He regularly advises on cross-border implications of international taxation, especially on the application of double tax treaties, on issues in connection with the refund of Swiss withholding taxes in international structures, on the Swiss tax treatment of trusts as well as on the redomiciliation of individuals and businesses to Switzerland. In addition, he also advises and represents clients on corporate tax matters, especially in negotiations with tax authorities during transfer pricing audits and regarding reorganizations. Robert Desax is a frequent speaker on tax matters and is a regular author of contributions for tax publications. He was named one of Switzerland's 20 Tax Controversy Leaders in 2015 by the International Tax Review.

Born in 1978, Robert Desax graduated from the University of Fribourg, Faculty of law, in 2002 (lic. iur. 2002 including special mention Bilingual Licentiate). In 2005 he passed the Zurich bar exam and obtained an LL.M. in international tax law from the Vienna University of Economics and Business in 2006. After that, he worked in the international tax department of one of the Big Four audit firms. In 2010 he earned the diploma as a Swiss certified tax expert. Prior to joining Walder Wyss in 2016, he was a Senior Associate in a large international law firm, where he had been a member of the tax team for more than five years. He is a member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), of EXPERTsuisse and of the Swiss/French Chamber of Commerce.

Robert Desax speaks French, German (as first and second native languages) and English. He is registered with the Zurich Bar and is admitted to practice in all Switzerland.